Motor car with trailer for camping



A. M. L. LEVOYER MOTOR CAR WITH TRAILER FOR CAMPING Filed April 1, 1932 i 5 Sheets-Sheet l 1 VII 5| II 0 I 21-9} BM 19 6 3 4. 1Q 9 v oiievm er" May 14, 1935- A. M. LEVOYER MOTOR CAR WITH TRAILER FOR CAMPING 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1, 1932 May 14, 1935.

A. M. L. LEVOYER MOTOR CAR WITH TRAILER FOR CAMPING Filed April 1', 195

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 F]. devoycr" Fig.3

INV N-T'a R Patented May 14, 1935 umreo sTAras MOTOR. CAR WITH Thmlt EUR. i on Antoine Marie Louis Levoyer, Paris, Frmw Application April 1, 1932, Serial No. 602,573 In France, April 3, 193i 1 Glaim.

My invention has for its object a unit constituted by a motor-car and a trailer for camping, the trailer being arranged so as to be connected with said motor-car for traveling or to be transformed into a camping bungalow at halting places.

It has already been proposed to use trailing cars which are to be drawn by motor-cars and trans- Iormable into camping bungalows, but the devices proposed to such efiect are connected with the drawback of allowing only a very small number of travellers to be lodged in said bungalow as well during traveling as at halting places, whilst on another hand, the unit has a relatively small re-' sistance and the comfort of same is not always suficient.

The unit motor-car trailer according to my invention which remedies the above mentioned deflciencies, comprises a motor-car of a reduced length which may constitute a drawing-car and can be individually used. Said car is provided at its rear end with a support and drawing member for the front end of the trailer which may have two or a greater number of wheels, said trailer having the appearance of a closed building, the lateral and upper walls of which are hinged on convenient horizontal axes whilst their top edge receives 9. rolled up fabric or cloth carried by a convenient rolling drum with a view'oi allowing by the simple lowering on each face of the trailer of the unit constituted by the external corresponding wall, the transformation of said trailer into a bungalow having a large area covered by the unrolled fabric or cloth constituting a tent, the unit thus obtained being eventually rc-in forced by means of additional removable supports.

In the accompanying drawings which show by way 0! example constructional forms of the unit motor-car trailer according to my invention:

Fig. l is a side view of the motor-car and trailer in their position of traveling.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts when the trailer is being separated from its trailingcar.

Fig. 3 shows the motor-car alone transformed into a pleasure car and carrying for instance a Fig. i is a half cross-section of the car, on a larger scale, showing the arrangement of the movable walls together with their operating members.

Fig. 5 shows a modification of Fig. 4.

Figs. 6 and 'I are. other modifications of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 shows on a reduced scale a diagrammatic plan view of the device extended.

The unit comprises a moton-car l of any desired power which may be of any convenient shape and arrangement. Said car receives on the rear end of its frame 2 the front end or a. trailer 3.

(or. etc-23) Said trailer which is provided with both carrying and directing wheels 5 arranged in the vicinity of its rear end, is thus carried through its front end upon frame 2 thus constituting a. unit with the frame of motor-car i. Recesses 5 are provided for accommodating wheels d oi said car i. A locking device is provided and constitutes for instance a group of coupling devices l (Figs. 1 and 2) securing the car with the trailer, a connection which may be completed by means of a convenient bellows like construction 8 of any convenient substance, such as for instance fabric, indie-rubber, leather or the like, securing the car 9 to trailer 3.

The trailer 3 may be rigidly connected with the motor-car l whilst wheels d which may be conveniently connected with the front wheels 9 of the motor-car .i, allows the motor-car trailer to travel along any roads even with very short turnings thus allowing people occupying said unit to attain any desired camping place.

As seen in Fig. 3, the car i carries a sort of removable hood. iii which may cover the rear end of said motor-car and transform the latter into a perfectly comfortable motor-car.

The trailer 3 which may have any convenient internal arrangement and any desired dimensions convenient with the width of roads, is provided with a lower part ii rigidly connected with the frame of said trailer. Said lower part ii which constitutes what may be termed the body oi the trailer, receives the lower end of a movable wall 93 which is solid with an inclined part it connected with said well it at a convenient angle.

The part M, which for the traveling position constitutes a fastening device tor the roof of the trailer, receives on its extreme lower edge E5 the extreme edge or a piece of canvas or fabric of convenient dimensions which may be rolled up upon a roller it which may rotate in. convenient bearings not shown in the drawings.

Rollers it are protected by a movable cap I! which may be brought either in the closing position ll (Fig. 4) or into the opening position I I.

A convenient operating device is provided on the axis of the rollers it for causing the same to rotate round its longitudinal axis.

Stifiening bars 88 are swiveled on the end posts of the trailer provided for instance at B9 (F18. l) for allowing the parts I3, 84, to be kept in their position of camping as shown in Fig. 4.

Posts 20 in appropriate number may be arranged under the parts l3, I, when the same are lowered into their position for camping.

In its stationary position, the inclined part H which constitutes a fastening device for the roof and which receives a roller 2| with the fabric constituting the surface ofthe 'roof, is engaged through its internal edge I5 against the roller l6, same being covered by the movable. cap I1.

When the trailer 3 is used as a camping bungalow, the movable walls l3, I, are turned round their hinges l2 from vertical position shown in full lines in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, into the position shown in Fig. 4, may support in each of the two longitudinal halves of the trailer 3 a very wide mattress.

During said lowering, the longitudinal internal edge ii of the roof M carries with it a canvas fabric from the roller l6 and brings the same into the position shown at 22 (Fig. 4) thus constituting a roof for the corresponding extended beds.

Said beds may thus be carried only by the upper edge of the lower part II carrying the hinges l2 of the body II on either side of the trailer thus leaving the centre part of said trailer completely free.

In order to allow the trailer to be conveniently ventilated as well during the day time as during the night, the portion I may carry a roller 33 with straps (Fig. 4) the operation of which conveniently combined with the operation of the roller 2i to allow the top to be uncovered. Several sections of said roof may be provided with 9. raising device by hinging each section and by means of a member such as a toothed segment 24 which may receive any convenient operating means. Said sections or the roof may then be raised by turning them around rollers 2| thus constituting a. wide ventilating opening.

For the position of traveling shown in Fig. 1, the trailer 3 has its front end carried by the rear part of the motor-car I, and is locked to the said car, by the housing at the rear part of said car in front part of the trailer, and also, by means of the connecting members shown at l and which may be resilient. The bellows portions 8 are provided for additionally securing the connection and allowing the room 01' the trailer 3 to be in communication with the seat oi the driver of the car. The unit may carry upon its roof any desired additional load, such for instance as a boat 25 as shown in Fig. 1, said boat resting for instance upon the rollers provided on the cap I1 and one of which is movable for locking.

The rear wheels 4 may swivel in the same direction and extent as the front wheels 9 of the motor-car I. The unit thus constituted is easy to be handled and may travel on any road or way, which allows people occupying the car and trailer, to freely choose their halting places, either along a road or in any other desired place.

Should it be desired to separate the trailer from its motor-car for allowing the latter to be used as a pleasure car the connecting devices I are first disconnected, then the trailer is moved into the position indicated in Fig. 2 for disengaging it from the motor-car l. The" latter is taken away, the trailer being afterwards brought into a convenient horizontal position.

The motor-car I may then be completed by its removable hood I (Fig. 1) which gives it the appearance of a road vehicle, said car I being thus in a position to be used for runs, etc.; the boat 25 may then also be carried by the motorcar I as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows diagrammatically on a larger scale a. slight modification of the arrangement shown in Fig. 4, comprising transverse fastening devices 26 which are conveniently removable, said P rts i'lmctioning to secure the rigidity of the roof during the travel.

For allowing a convenient ventilation of the trailer when transformed into a camping bungalow, the vertical walls l3 having been brought into the hatched position shown in Fig. 4, the longitudinal axis of rollers It may be rendered movable thus ventilating the trailer through its roof.

Accordingto the modification of Fig. 6, under a fixed roof 26 are arranged slides or cases 21 receiving telescopic panels 28 which, when travelmeans 01' withdrawing parts such as springs or the like, or by means of tractive cables controlled by means of a convenient handle and which at the time of transformation for camping may be brought to occupy the position shown in full lines in Fig. 6 for constituting a shelter for the rest rooms thus. formed.

Inthe modification of Fig. 7, the lateral part 29 of the root is movable for occupying the position shown in dot-and-dash lines, and said part may receive on its external edge one or several panels 30 which may be hinged at the end of the lateral part of roof 29 and may be provided with the folding posts or the like. Every panel 30 may occupy either the position shown in full lines for camping during the night, orthe position shown in. dot-and-dash lines for camping during the day time, thus protecting occupying people against the sun whilst securing the ventilation.

During traveling, panels 30 are brought into the position 30' against the corresponding wall of the closed trailer.

In the several forms of construction, re-intorcing devices such as l3, M, (Fig. 5) may be pro:- vided with one or several walls 3| (Fig. 8), either rigid or foldable which, in the position of camping, as shown in Fig. 8, could determine the formation of independent-compartments or rooms 32.

By conveniently arranging said removable walls 3|, it is possible to divide the camping bungalow into a number of independent rooms thus increasing the comfort of the unit. In the several forms I of construction, the operations 0! unfolding and folding of the camping bungalow may be efiected either automatically by means of release springs or bymeans of operating members such as winches or the like, the stays being it necessary substituted for stretching members or combined with the same.

The invention may be used as a traveling house transformable into a camping bungalow, traveling store, a single motor-car such as I, being in a position to draw or haul several trailers such as 3, the connection of whichmay be obtained in any co venient manner during traveling.

I What I claim is:-

A trailer having a lower portion, a cap and vertical sides and a solid roof, the side and half the solid roof being hinged to said lower portion to move as a unit, a roller near the middle of the top of the trailer beneath said cap and a canvas fabric carried by the roller and normally rolled up thereon but adapted to be unrolled from said roller and attached to the outer edge of the turned down side of the roof portion, when theside is turned to horizontal position said cap being movable to allow ventilation to said trailer.

ANTOINE MARIE LOUIS LEVOYER.

' ing. may be brought inside said cases 21 either by 

